Porsche 2008 Annual Report Download - page 141

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Partnerships between Porsche Motorsport and
professional customer teams also proved a re-
cipe for success in many national champion-
ships around the world. This was demonstrated
in one of the toughest tests for drivers and rac-
ing cars in the world, the BF Goodrich Endur-
ance Championship at the Nürburgring. The
championship is held on a 24.4 kilometer com-
bination of the Northern Loop and the Grand
Prix track, with racing distances of between 650
and just under 1,000 kilometers. With eight over-
all victories in nine races and one race remaining
in the fall, Porsche teams demonstrated the su-
periority of the GT racing car developed in Weis-
sach. A GT3 RSR from the Manthey Racing Team
secured five wins. The Mamerow Racing Team
achieved three victories with a 911 GT3 Cup S.
Company driver Sascha Maassen supported
the team Autorlando Sport and its team driver
Francisco Cruz-Martins at the Italian GT cham-
pionship. The collaboration was highly success-
ful, and Autorlando Sport was able to cele-
brate a championship title for Cruz-Martins after
the final in Monza. Porsche customers were
also victorious in Spain and Belgium. In the US,
Porsche was the clear winner of the manufac-
turers’ championship in the SCCA Speed World
Challenge GT thanks to the dedication of its
customer teams. In selected races, a 911 GT3
RS entered by the Hankook Porsche Team en-
joyed success in the Japanese Super GT Series.
Mass sport and fostering young talent
Porsche Cup racing offers a unique foundation
for customer sport. The GT3 Cup Challenges
are held in connection with club sport for ama-
teur racing drivers. The Carrera Cups enjoy the
status of national championships for profes-
sional teams. The Porsche Mobil 1-Supercup is
held as a prestigious GT championship in con-
nection with the FIA Formula 1 championship.
13 cup races in which customers start in
identically fitted 911 GT3 Cup racing cars
were seen in 20 different countries in 2009.
Porsche organizes these races beginning
with the delivery of start-ready 911 GT3 Cup
vehicles through to the organization of the
weekends and television coverage. The Cups
are hosted by other racing series that are
worthy of the Porsche brand’s premium repu-
tation. Back in summer 2008, Porsche had
already reached an agreement with the govern-
ing body of Formula 1 to hold the Mobil 1-
Supercup in connection with the Grands Prix
at least until 2011. The decision was made
in summer 2009 to add two races to the Mo-
bil 1-Supercup in connection with the For-
mula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.
Success in the Carrera Cups as well: In Aus-
tralia, Porsche proved its flexibility by combin-
ing the Carrera Cup Australia with the local GT3
Cup Challenge, which benefited both champion-
ships. The new GT3 Cup Challenge Deutschland
was a complete success from the very start.
In Turkey and the Middle East, Porsche pushed
initiatives that will ensure that the number of
such mass sport series will continue to grow in
the coming year.
The success of the Porsche Cup racing series
is based not only on the fascination of the 911,
its clear sporting concept or the exceptional
suitability of the Cups as a business platform
for customer teams. It is also due to the high
sporting status of these racing series. The fact
that six of the current ten Company drivers be-
gan their careers in the Porsche-Mobil 1-Super-
cup or a Carrera Cup speaks for itself. Even in
one of the toughest 24-hour races in the world,
on the Nürburgring, nine of twelve drivers tak-
ing to the winners’ podium began their careers
in one of the Porsche Cups.